‘Haunters: The Art of the Scare’ Trailer Takes You Inside the Haunted House Industry

People don’t want to just be scared by horror movies anymore; they want to experience horror movies for themselves. It’s a curious impulse (“Hey this movie about the knife-wielding cannibalistic butcher scared me to death; is there any way you guys could have the knife-wielding cannibalistic butchertry to stab me?”) but one that’s growing rapidly in popularity. Escape rooms inspired by films like Saw are sprouting up everywhere (usually with slightly less self-amputation than depicted onscreen), and haunted houses that are way more complex and realistic than the old standard are becoming increasingly popular.

This new phenomenon is chronicled in the documentary Haunters: The Art of the Scare, which takes you behind-the-scenes of this new haunting industry, from some traditional haunted houses to more extreme and disturbingly interactive encounters. (One guy boasts that he can deliver simulated drownings which, y’know, I’m gonna take a hard pass on that right from the jump.)

Here’s the doc’s official synopsis:

Haunters: The Art Of The Scare is a heart-warming and heart-stopping documentary about how family-friendly haunted houses for Halloween have spawned a growing subculture of extreme horror simulations. What kind of person dedicates their life to turning other people's nightmares into reality, and how far is too far? Explore the rise of terror as entertainment, by going behind-the-screams and into the lives of Shar Mayer, legendary scare actor, Donald Julson, a traditional boo-scare maze designer, and the infamous Russ McKamey, as he creates the most controversial full-contact haunt of all time... in his own backyard. Also featuring John Murdy (Universal Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights), Jon Braver (Delusion), Josh Randall (Blackout), Eric Lowther (Haunted Overload), Bruce Stanton (Reign of Terror), Sylvia & Jen Soska (American Mary & GSN's HELLEVATOR), Jessica Cameron (Truth or Dare) and many more talented artists.

Haunters will be available to own on Blu-ray and Digital HD on October 3.